Weather

The cleanup continued Monday after a weekend ice storm in Lockport and flooding in Northern Erie County, but today all eyes shift to the rising water of Tonawanda Creek which could trigger another round of submerged streets, yards and basements.Tonawanda Creek at Rapids is expected to crest at 15.8 feet early today, which is just short of the 16-foot “major flooding” …

Most Western New Yorkers who lost their electrical power got it back late Sunday and overnight, but the weather concerns now move to local creeks, especially Tonawanda Creek, which is expected to crest just short of “major flooding” stage early Tuesday morning.The National Weather Service reported that Tonawanda Creek at Rapids was expected to crest at 15.7 feet at abo…

For many Western New Yorkers, the typical pre-holiday hustle and bustle was replaced with a different kind of stress on Sunday.Rainfall and melting snow combined to clog sewers and flood basements, and an ice storm knocked out power for nearly 65,000 customers, some of whom may have to wait days until the lights come back on.Some communities saw a decrease in the number of…

Power has been restored to about 10,000 or 11,000 of the 39,000 National Grid customers who lost power in Western New York overnight, but some homes may not get power back until Tuesday, company officials said this afternoon.Some 18,500 homes in Niagara County and 9,300 in Erie County were among those hit when rain turned to ice and coated power lines throughout the region…

Warnings and watches dominate the local weather forecast, as Western New York braces for a one-two punch of freezing rain and swollen creeks over the next day.One culprit is freezing rain, which could coat the northern half of the region with a layer of ice with the potential to down tree limbs and trigger power outages. Late Saturday, the National Weather Service reported…

Warnings and watches dominate the local weather forecast, as Western New York braces for a one-two punch of freezing rain and flooded creeks over the next 24 hours or so.The big culprit is expected to be freezing rain, which could to coat the northern half of the region with a layer of ice that could down tree limbs and trigger power outages in that area.Temperatures are e…

Rain combined with a quickly melting snowpack will greatly increase the possibility of flooding this evening and into Sunday.Forecasters also are keeping a watchful eye on the temperature as rain approaches.While warm air will envelop the lower half our region, a cold front may bring freezing or near-freezing temperatures to the northern half, increasing the chance of free…

The warm air wafting over the melting snow in the Buffalo Niagara region was causing widespread fog this afternoon.“This is very typical when you get rain and warmer air going over a snow pack,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Jon Hitchcock. “It’s creating a cloud on the ground.”The warm is expected to continue through the weekend, getting as high as …

Though the region has stockpiled plenty of the makings for a White Christmas, Mother Nature always has the last word.Rain – and lots of it – will accompany a thaw topping out at 50-plus degrees by Sunday.Goodbye snow? Maybe.“Way too much rain,” said Jon Hitchcock, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Buffalo, which Thursday issued a flood watch for all …

Snowdrifts and the roar of plows are likely to be replaced by puddles and the hum of sump pumps across Western New York as winter officially arrives over the weekend.A warm-up is due, the National Weather Service says, and the meltdown of all the snow that’s accumulated during the past week could be accelerated by rain. Rainfall may total as much as 2 inches before the w…

DUNKIRK – Several accidents this afternoon in the city of Dunkirk prompted Police Chief David Ortolano to urge people to stay off of city streets as much as possible.“I think Dunkirk and Silver Creek have been in a pocket of snow for quite some time,” Ortolano said. He said the city has received several inches of snow today and that driving conditions are difficult. …

Lake Erie dipped to 34 degrees Tuesday off Buffalo’s harbor, four degrees below average. The water hasn’t been colder on a Dec. 17 in 18 years.So what does it mean for those shoveling sidewalks and drivers white-knuckling their way through one lake-effect snow squall after another?With ice already forming along the lake shoreline, it signals relief may be on the way fo…

After waking up this morning to a layer of fresh, sparkling snow, residents of Buffalo and points south can expect another dose of lake-effect snow this evening.An inch of snow, from a general snowfall, was recorded this morning at the National Weather Service office at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, according to meteorologist Dan Kelly.Morning rush-hour traffic in…

Keep your shovel handy. The National Weather Service says a clipper system will cross the region today, giving almost everyone another inch or two of snow. After that, most places will get a break until next weekend, except for the traditional lake-effect areas in southern Erie County and northern Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, which could get another 3 to 5 inches l…

The squalls that dumped half a foot of snow on areas south and east of Buffalo earlier this evening are quickly moving further south, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters say that for the snow should be heaviest in the Boston Hills and southern Wyoming County for a short while, then move into northern Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties north of Jamestown and Fra…